


run

by LuckyMagicBelle



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Dream Smp, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop, Time Travel Fix-It, especially Dream, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyMagicBelle/pseuds/LuckyMagicBelle
Summary: Trapped in a time loop, trying desperately to end the wars and the bloodshed, Dream decides to bring peace to the server by removing the cause of it all.Himself.(On hiatus until I finish masks.)
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 182





	run

**Author's Note:**

> **Things you should know:**  
>  1\. Dream returns to three canon lives every time he resets. If he loses his last canon life, he gets dropped back into the L’Manburg Revolution.  
> 2\. By this point, he’s gotten so tired of the server going to Hell in a handbasket that he basically spends every loop trying to end the fighting (though that definitely wasn’t his goal at first.)  
> 3\. This story is probably trash but I need to work on my writing skills, so why not practice with fanfiction?  
> 4\. That being said, constructive criticism is welcome. If I get anything wrong, please let me know.  
> 5\. Chapters are usually short.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It's clear now. To keep this server peaceful, he'll need to remove the cause of the fighting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warnings: Blood, Mild Violence**

He's lying flat on his back, limbs flopped haphazardly across the dirt. His mask is long gone, shattered to pieces, burning somewhere in the rubble behind him. His green hoodie has been reduced to scraps of cloth, the gray undershirt dirtied and worn. His sword lies five feet away, knocked from his hand, and Technoblade looms over him, a firework-loaded crossbow pointed at his face.

Dream doesn't beg. He stares up at his former rival, stares past the broken remains of his pigskull mask and into his eyes. Gone is the façade of cool, casual indifference that the man wore. In its place is burning rage and despair, a destructive inferno that conceals the bone-deep exhaustion dragging him down.

Technoblade's finger tightens on the trigger. His breath comes in rapid gasps, and he's trembling with rage. His eyes have gone dark, the last spark of humanity dragged under by grief-fueled bloodlust.

 **_"Why?"_ ** He rasps.

Dream looks at him. He doesn’t have to answer. It would be a waste of breath, nothing more. The two of them are the last ones, the last ones alive on this godforsaken server. Everyone is gone. Every _thing_ is gone. And soon, they will be too. 

Dream answers anyway. "I was bored," he ~~lies~~ says, because that is what Technoblade expects him to say, and because it sounds better than "I don't know". There is no point in continuing, not when they passed the point of no return a week ago. He’s going to reset, so he might as well give Technoblade one final push. "I was bored, and-"

A booted foot slams into his stomach and he chokes. Technoblade hunches, his shadow falling over the other, and Dream is mildly surprised to see _tears_ pouring from his eyes. The torn red neckerchief hanging around his neck, stained with dried blood, comes loose and flutters to the ground. Crimson eyes flicker to it, and the hybrid's face twists into an expression of inexpressible agony.

And yet, when Technoblade speaks, he does not scream. No, his voice comes out quiet and trembling, the voice of someone who has fallen into the deepest depths of despair.

"You're a _monster_ _,_ Dream."

"I know," Dream replies, and closes his eyes as Technoblade pulls the trigger.

* * *

The burning pain dissolves into numbness. He blinks away the searing streaks of color to see a younger, sane WilburSoot and his band of rebels, glaring down at him from the walls of L'Manburg. They look ~~scared~~ angry, like they always do when he's involved. Dream stares at them and thinks of the people they will become.

He hates how he's always dropped into the middle of this confrontation. He's never given any time to ~~recover~~ plan. He usually waits until the end of the loop is in sight to make a plan, but the last iteration had fallen apart so quickly he hadn’t had time to come up with one.

"Dream?" Someone ( _George_ ) asks hesitantly behind him. He blinks. The L’Manchildren are still glaring, but Tubbo has started shifting uncomfortably. Dream turns to look at George, who stares at him with a worried expression _(_ _why?)._ George, who is very much alive and not-bloody, who is looking at him like he _cares_ because they're still _friends._ Because he hasn’t seen what Dream really is yet.

_"You're a monster."_

How many times has someone said that to him? So many times. So many people. Technoblade’s last words repeat like a broken record in his head, echoed over and over by the people he had called friends, then tools, then enemies.

He turns away and looks around at these people, these citizens of the Dream SMP. The first ones, still innocent. Still hopeful. Still determined to fight. Untouched by the brutality of later wars, by treachery, by his manipulation. 

By his manipulation? His manipulation. His. He blinks as a realization slowly creeps into his mind. In all these loops he's stuck around, tried again and again to fix things. Fix the needless bloodshed. Fix the deaths. Fix the problems.

But he'd never tried to _prevent_ them. Never tried to remove the source of those problems.

_"You're a monster."_

There’s a hand on his shoulder. He reacts automatically, grabs the wrist and flips his ~~friend~~ attacker over his shoulder and points his sword at their throat. He hears someone cry out. Sapnap is staring up at him, his face pale, a thin line of blood seeping from where the sword has cut his neck. 

~~Friend.~~ ~~Attacker.~~ _Friend._

Dream inhales and steps back, half-turning so that he can see both groups in his peripheral vision. And then George is there, helping Sapnap to his feet. He's looking at Dream. They're _all_ looking at Dream.

_"You’re a monster.”_

_"I know."_

It's clear now. To keep this server peaceful, he'll need to remove the cause of the fighting. Him and Tommy, Dream and Tommy. Their never ending conflict, fueled by their selfish desires. He knows ~~from experience~~ that killing Tommy will end with the server turning against him. So the answer is obvious.

Without a word, he turns and begins walking away. "Dream?!" Someone shouts behind him, accompanied by a _"_ _Wait!_ " He ignores them and breaks into a run, reaching into his inventory. At the start of every loop, it resets to what he had the day of the confrontation-- weapons, armor, bread-- and thirteen ender pearls.

He tosses a pearl into the forest and disappears between one step and the next.

* * *

"I WANT TO SEE WHITE FLAGS!" Dream is shouting up at the L'Manburg faction. George curls his lip at the defiant positions the opposing side has taken. They obviously have no intention of complying. " _WHITE FLAGS_ , OUTSIDE YOUR BASE--"

He abruptly cuts off mid-sentence, going still. The rebels shift warily, eyeing the netherite-clad man.

Slowly, Dream relaxes into a neutral position. He seems to be staring at the group above them (though with his back to George, it's a bit difficult to tell). Still, he doesn't say anything, and the silence slowly grows tenser.

"Dream?" George questions at last. Dream jolts a little before swiveling to face George and the others. The mask hides his expression, and George wishes (not for the first time) that he could see his face.

"Dream?" He asks again when his friend fails to respond. The other man ignores him, turning back to the L'Manburg rebels. George steps forward a little. "Are you okay?"

"Dream?" Sapnap questions warily, stepping forward as well. When Dream doesn't respond, he carefully lays a hand on his shoulder.

Dream _snaps_ into motion, grabbing Sapnap's wrist and throwing him to the ground. George lets out an alarmed shout as Dream's sword swings down towards Sapnap, stopping at his throat and barely breaking the skin.

Everyone freezes. When Dream fails to follow up the attack, George inches forward warily, dropping his axe in his inventory and raising his hands to show that he's unarmed. “Dream,” he calls warily.

Dream takes a shuddering breath and steps backwards. His sword drops back to his side, and George hastily helps Sapnap to his feet. “You okay?” he asks quietly.

Sapnap shudders. “Ye- uh. Yeah.” 

Dream remains silent, staring at them from behind his porcelain mask. George wishes he could see his expression. Wishes Dream would _say_ something. 

His wishes remain unfulfilled. Dream wordlessly turns and begins walking away. Behind them, the rebels burst into confused shouting. 

“Dream?” Punz calls as George cries “Wait!” 

Dream hurtles into a run, reaching into his pocket and producing a--

“ _DREAM!”_ Sapnap screams as the ender pearl flies. In the blink of an eye, Dream is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Dream didn't meet them face to face to deliver the "no mercy" speech, but I took creative liberties with that one. They met at the L'Manburg wall and had a nice chat. (The nice part was sarcasm.)  
> I lowkey hate my writing already but that's okay because I will hopefully get better-  
> Constructive criticism is welcome! Please let me know about any mistakes I made or suggestions you have.  
> 'Til next time.  
> Word Count: 1,269


End file.
